Sussex Cricket League round-up - August 13: Hastings and Horsham win thrillers as Roffey extend lead at the top

Eastbourne recovered from 155/7 to 257 all out thanks to Joe Pocklington’s 49, 64 from David Twine and 32 not out from number ten Jack Meacher.

Abhay Negi took 4-42 for Hastings.

Tom Gillespie (72) and Mitch English (62) helped take Hastings to 249/6 and seemingly cruising to the total but three wickets from David Twine gave Eastbourne hope before last pair Adam Barton and Adam Page saw Hastings home.

Hastings are now 43 points behind their East Sussex rivals and just 13 points behind Brighton (243 all out), who lost a thriller with Horsham (244/7) by three wickets on the final ball.

Horsham needed seven from the last over and got it down to one off the last ball and it was Frankie Cripps - who had earlier hit 56 not out and bowled superbly - who just missed the stumps with an attempted run out which would have meant a tied match.

Sam Topping also batted well for Brighton with 52. Nick Oxley took 4-36.

In reply, Will Beer (46), Oxley (49) and Oliver Haines (52) all batted well before Sam Bell (13 not out) hit the winning run.

Horsham jumped up to second by one point thanks to Preston Nomads (262/5) who beat East Grinstead (209 all out) by 53 runs.

Kashif Ibrahim hit 90 not out and Dan Phillips 77 as Nomads posted 262/5 from their 50 overs.

Leo Cammish (42), Harry Finch (46) and Tom Haynes (42) all got starts for Grinstead but it was Adam O’Brien (4-26) and Ibrahim (4-33) who bowled Nomads to victory.

That defeat allowed Roffey (179/6) to extend their lead at the top to 23 points after a four- wicket win against Middleton (174 all out).

Harry Hovey was the only Middleton batsmen to get going with 64 from just 31 balls - an innings which included eight sixes - as Jas Bassan took 5-21.

Leg spinner Ajit Sambhi took 5-22 in the reply but Rohit Jagota saw Roffey home with 41 not out.

Batting performance of the weekend came from Ryan Maskell as he hit a brilliant 178 from 143 balls as Bognor Regis (327/4) beat Three Bridges (305/9) by 22 runs in a high-scoring game.

Maskell’s innings contained 20 fours and seven sixes.

Nick Stobart also batted well for his unbeaten 74.

In reply Bridges skipper Joe Walker hit 104 and Luke Bellers an unbeaten 54.

Cuckfield (212 all out) are still 22 points clear at the top of division two despite a three-wicket defeat to Chichester Priory Park (215/7).

Ben Gregory was the pick of the Chi bowlers with 4-38 while Ben John top-scored with 51 for Cuckfield. Josh Hayward took 4/16 for Cuckfield but Thomas Drake Brockman was the hero in the chase with 92 not out.

Mourne Louw (119) and Louis Storey (109) both hit centuries as West Chiltington and Thakeham (337/6) hammered Lindfield (103 all out) by 234 runs.

Haywards Heath (324/5) piled on the runs as they enjoyed a 79-run win over St James’s Montefiore (245/9). Jethro Menzies was the star of the show with 162.

With three games to go, Cuckfield are top on 348 points, West Chilts second on 226 points and Heath are third on 318 points.

15 points behind them in fourth are Mayfield (186/3), who cruises to a seven-wicket win over Burgess Hill (183 all out).

Ben Remfry hit 50 for Hill before Rob Raymond (48), Callum Saker (50 not out) and Keon Harding (42 not out) saw Mayfield home.

St Peter’s (225/9) pulled off an important eight-run win against relegation rivals Findon (217/9).

The division 2 relegation battle is a close one. Three teams go down and currently Findon are bottom on 191 points, Lindfield are above them on 224 with St James’s and St Peter’s are both on 227 points.